Rappaport stepping down from St. Armands Business Improvement District Board of Directors

Marty Rappaport, who founded the St. Armands Business Improvement District (BID), announced last week that he is stepping down as a BID board member, City Manager Tom Barwin announced on Oct. 14.

Rappaport has provided “29 years of outstanding service [to the city],” Barwin wrote in his weekly column.

Starting with Rappaport’s move to the area in the late 1980s, Barwin pointed out, Rappaport was involved in the community — first as president of a neighborhood association, then as one of the founders of the St. Armands Commercial Landowners Association.

He also served on the Good Bridge Committee, which supported what was then a controversial new expansion bridge, now known as the Ringling Bridge, Barwin added.

“Perhaps, though, he’s best known for his unwavering commitment to St. Armands Circle, serving for the past 15 years as a founding member of the St. Armands Business Improvement District,” Barwin wrote. The supplemental funding provided by the BID — invested in extra landscaping and other initiatives — “has helped set the district apart and make it one of the crown jewels in our special city and a top tourist destination,” Barwin added.

Applications are being accepted to fill Rappaport’s seat on the St. Armands BID Board of Directors, Barwin noted. To be considered, an applicant must be a property owner (subject to ad valorem taxes) in the district. To download an application click here.